Price of happiness- Aati Pema

Beneath the scorching June sun rays the dark tar road was sweltered and made road seem to wobble from afar. I was standing underneath a thicket by the road talking about the tests we gave, when I noticed a person walking almost aimlessly. Though it is not a usual seen as poverty still reigns here amidst those who were left behind by the "progressive world". An impulse nudged me to observe him. He was a middle-aged man but his state seems to age him, his hair ran down from the back of his head, his eyes seemed other worldly to me as it seemed to be looking for something but he was not observing anything. All of a sudden, he stopped and looked down. A look of curiosity and confusion bore on his face as he slightly tilted his head from side to side as if wondering what he is seeing. 

After observing for a few moments, he stood and looked up. I followed his gaze but nothing was there. He bent slowly and picked the object up; it was then that i saw what it was. It was a ten-rupee coin which must have been lost by a passerby. He looked at it with dearness and his countenance became jolly he held it against his chest looking up again he thanked. His eyes were like an empty space but it felt as though it looked for something. After thanking a few times, he carefully kept it in the pocket nearest to his heart and gave it a few good pat. Then again, he set on in his way, I had not known him there was a lesson. To be happy is a choice, to be grateful is a choice and our character is thus made by our choices. Situations are unpredictable but what we do in turn are our choices, and so are we defined. 

Aati Pema

St Thomas College 

Image Courtesy- Science News

 

My bedroom greater than any paradise ! - Saikiran Sahu

My bedroom is the one place that gives me solace and helps me find my inner peace. Coming from any vacation or staycation in the most luxurious hotels but still feeling homesick and wanting to rush to your home and lie on your bed in your bedroom is another feeling. My quiet room with golden and pink hues calmed my restless mind full of a thousand memories and apprehensions about my academics, cocurriculars, and the things that scare me the most: my future. The soft pillow and mattress immediately put me into a deep slumber. The garden attached to my room where the blooming flowers and their lovely smell feel like welcoming me. Waiting for me to come back home. In a nutshell, my sweet bedroom is more fantastic and better than any paradise on Earth. 

Saikiran Sahu, IX

Illustrated by Decoholic